Going Through the Rain With You
by Silver Desert
Summary: It was a hard fact that Sera would do anything to make sure her little brother was safe and happy. Be the chef of some rookie pirate crew to pay for her brother's medical bills? Sure, if she can handle being around that sadistic pirate captain who keeps adding onto her debt and is somehow a legitimate doctor. Law/OC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own anything except for my OCs. The song lyrics sung by my OCs is the English version of the Filipino song, "Hawak Kamay," by Yeng Constantino. The English version was written by David DiMuzio.**

* * *

It was raining, the first real downpour Sera had been in ever since she arrived at the North Blue. The rain was cold, like ice, and it brought goosebumps upon skin. Sera wasn't used to this kind of rain, but rain was rain. The cold rain still brought a light feeling of comfort and a heavy weight of nostalgia. She wanted to stop and dance, feel the raindrops on her bare skin, scream and cry.

But she didn't. Not when there were other people around.

Her little brother, Reggie, grasped her hand and walked a little closer to her. Sera adjusted the umbrella so it was more on his side, her left side quickly dampening. His other hand was held up to his chest with a scratched up eternal pose. His glasses were covered in water droplets and his hazel eyes were starting to glaze over as he stared at the old compass.

"Do you want to eat first or should we find an inn?" Sera asked him with a smile. There were a lot of restaurants on Paw Island and the many smells seemed to mingle with the rain.

Reggie blinked and he looked at her with slightly widened eyes. "Huh? Oh, uh…can we just eat at an inn? I'm kind of tired..."

Sera's smile didn't falter when he started to daydream again. "Alright. Let's find an inn."

She quickly scooped him up, eliciting a surprised yelp from the younger, and hoisted him on her shoulders. Reggie giggled, so softly she almost didn't hear, and fixed himself so that he was sitting with his legs on either side. He grabbed the umbrella while she grabbed his legs.

" _I'm by your side. Through the rain, through the night, every fight. In a world that has no guarantees_ ," Sera sang with a wide smile.

There was a moment of silence. Reggie leaned forward on her head, wrapping his free arm around her forehead in a loose hug. _"I'm by your side. Hand in hand through the days that see us laugh and cry_ …." He sang. His mouth was close to her ear, but she still had a difficult time hearing him.

Reggie didn't share the same feelings as Sera when it came to the rain, but she was glad that he would at least make an effort to follow along at her attempts to cheer him up. She reached up and ruffled his hair. He whined and swatted her hand away, but she could feel his smile against her hair.

* * *

They found an inn in the middle of town. The inn was packed mostly by men who had to take refuge from the rain. There weren't any rooms left, so Sera borrowed some blankets and pillows and found a free booth in the dining hall. Since there weren't any free bathrooms, she and Reggie did their best to dry off before ordering food.

That was when Sera realized that they were running low on money.

Sera frowned at her almost empty wallet as she chewed on a roll of bread. They were able to buy bread and soup, but now they wouldn't have enough for breakfast and supplies.

"Do we have enough?" Reggie asked. His lips were in a tight frown and his eyes held a bit of fear. "Are you going to have to find a job to do?"

The idea almost made her groan. "Job" can refer to a lot of things. If she was lucky, she'd find a quick job as a chef or waitress. Or carrying load for a ship. Or gamble. Most times, though, she'd have to find some shady guy and do some shady job for him, like theft or (she tries to avoid it) assassination.

"Well—" she started to say when they were interrupted by some rowdy cheering.

At the other side of the inn, there was a group of men being gathered with a few wine barrels lined up against the wall. The innkeeper was gathering them, announcing that there would be a drinking contest to pass the night. The reward: 100,000 beli.

Slowly, a wide grin appeared on Sera's lips.

"No."

The grin turned into a frown and she pouted at her little brother. Reggie was giving her a stern look and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"You are not going to drink! You'd end up drinking more than your weight," he said.

"Now you're just exaggerating. I haven't drunk a drop of alcohol in two months." Sera waved the wallet in front of his face. "And we need the money."

"At least finish eating first!"

Sera stuffed the food down in less than seconds (it wasn't a lot), making Reggie groan and bury his head in his arms. "Sorry," she said, patting his head.

"You're going to regret this in the future," he grumbled.

Sera got up and set her two hammers that she wore on her back on her seat before walking over to the crowd. The innkeeper was passing out the filled wine mugs and she took one, although not without a skeptical look by said man.

 _I'm going to knock that look off your face._ Sera grinned, holding back her laugh. Oh, how much she wanted to taste that wine right then and there.

"Whoever drinks the most is the winner!" the innkeeper said after the drinks were all passed out. "Ready? Drink!"

* * *

The wine was decent, a tad on the stronger side. Sera didn't think the contest would last very long with this liquor. Within the half hour, Sera had drunk eight mugs and was starting to get a bit tipsy. Only two others remained—

No, one just collapsed. Only Sera and the other man were left.

She refilled her mug, downed it in three gulps, and refilled it again. The man just about matched her speed.

He looked about her age, wearing a fuzzy-spotted hat and a yellow hoodie with some weird smiley. _A jolly roger, maybe?_ The word "DEATH" was tattooed on the fingers of his right hand and he had shadows under his eyes. Sera felt as if he was vaguely familiar, but shrugged it off. His face might have been in the newspapers.

But _damn_ , that guy can drink. Sera was actually starting to get worried.

Her mug was refilled again.

"How much did you drink?" Reggie yelled beside her. When did he get there?

Sera drank and got another glass. "Number twelve," she said before gulping the wine down. The man with the fuzzy hat narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, a smirk on his lips.

"That's too much!"

"She's matching you, Captain!" said a polar bear in an orange jumpsuit. Its beady eyes were wide and jaw agape, showing very realistic ivory teeth.

Sera blinked and glanced down at her drink, then at the bear, and at her drink again. _Crap, I'm hallucinating._

She continued drinking anyways.

"I'm impressed," said the man. Sera looked at him while she drank. "It didn't seem possible that a woman like you can hold this much alcohol."

Sera refilled her mug while he drank. "What does that mean?"

Her mug was refilled before he can finish drinking. She quickly finished it, savoring the flavor of her last gulp while both their mugs got refilled.

"Smaller people typically become intoxicated more quickly. And women have half of the enzymes that would metabolize alcohol compared to men."

Sera raised an eyebrow, pushing down the annoyance she felt. Was his tone naturally arrogant or was he trying to provoke her? "You some doctor or something? If size affects alcohol tolerance, how come you're still hanging on? You _are_ kind of _spindly_."

The man's looked darkened somewhat and some people behind her whispered nervously. Reggie choked and jabbed her side with her elbow.

"Hold your tongue, Sis!" he whispered through his teeth. "That guy's 'The Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law, with a bounty of 60 million! He's known for his sadistic cruelty!"

The mugs came back and they finished it at the same time.

"60 million, eh? First bounty?" she asked him.

He gave her a smug look, which she took as a yes. Sera chuckled and drank.

"You don't look like a 60 million guy," she said, sticking her tongue out at him with one eye closed. He didn't react this time. Only continued drinking.

"Can you just give up now?" Reggie said as she took another mug. Her cheeks were pink. "You're going to damage your livers and pancreas!"

"If she forfeits now, she'll have to pay for all the liquor she drank," said the innkeeper.

Sera's eyes widened. "Hell no! We need that money, Sprout." (And, well, she didn't want to stop either way. The wine was really good.)

An eon and some mugs later, Sera's eyesight was getting blurry. For some reason, she was laughing her heart out. Trafalgar Law was smirking, snickering here and there with colored cheeks. People were mumbling around them ( _are they mumbling?)_ and they sounded shocked and worried, mixing like some broken blender.

"—we're almost out of wine—"

"—captain, I think you're drinking too much—"

"—I think I'm going to gag—"

"—alcohol poisoning—"

"—Sis, stop already—"

"Just give up, damn bastard," Sera mumbled, suddenly turning serious. She was realizing that she was getting drunk. _Stay awake! We need that money!_

Law seemed to glare at her. "Don't tell me what to do, Miss." He seemed to be getting his act together, too. Or at least, acting like he was.

(She hoped so, anyways. It was taking pure willpower to not act like a crazy drunk. The talking polar bear illusion was still there, too, and was becoming hard to ignore. Just what kind of wine did this inn have to make _her_ hallucinate a talking animal?)

They glugged what they had left in their mugs and slammed it down on the table at the same time. However, their mugs weren't taken to be refilled.

"Boss, we're out of wine!" said one of the workers.

The innkeeper and every other conscious person gawked. Sera and Law glared at each other, both of their cheeks pink and their eyes looking ready to fall. Their willpower kept them from fainting.

"How many glasses did you drink?" the innkeeper asked.

"Twenty," said Law at the same time Sera said, "Twenty-one."

There was a barely noticeable eye twitch coming from the pirate captain while the woman leaned back and laughed.

"Wohoo! I win!" Sera shouted, fist-bumping the air, before swaying and promptly collapsing on Reggie's shoulder. Her brother grunted at the weight and his small arms wrapped around her so she wouldn't fall. Sera wasn't exactly sure, but she thought she heard another body collapse and someone picking her up.

That night, she dreamed of rain the color of red wine.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So, yeah. This story's going to be my take of a Law x OC story. This story is mainly for me to practice my writing skills, but there is going to be a plot.** **Generic plot, I suppose, since there are a lot of stories like this. I'll try to make it different, though.**

 **I had this take place in North Blue first, somewhere on the later half of the Heart Pirate's journey before they reach the Grand Line. I probably wrote this story in an awkward time, especially when we'll get more info on the Heart Pirates in the current manga arc. (I hope, anyways.) But I figured that since I already have this story in my head, I'll just do my best to incorporate new info we get into this story.**

 **Also, I probably won't update on a constant schedule. Just to let you know.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed it. Don't hesitate to tell me what you think and if there's any mistakes you've noticed. Reviews, suggestions, and constructive criticism are always welcomed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own One Piece. I only own my OCs.**

* * *

Her head felt like a battlefield. Cannonballs exploded against the walls of her skull, soldiers marching around her brain, the clashes of metal making her ears ring. Her stomach felt like a typhoon and she was amazed she hadn't vomited yet. This was the worst hangover she remembered ever having. Exactly how much did she drink last night?

 _What_ did _happen, anyways?_

Sera groaned and snuggled deeper into the blankets, the mattress's springs creaking slightly at the movement. The blanket was warm and thick, the pillow nice and fluffy. The softness eased her the throbbing in her head somewhat. The pillow smelled like some man's cologne…

Sera's eyes snapped open and she propped up onto her hands, ignoring the intensified bombing going on in her head. She was in a dimly lit room with only a bed, desk, and a dresser. There were a few photos, although it was hard to tell what was in it with the lighting. She continued looking and found her backpack and her two Chui hammers near her bed. Her clothes from last night were hanging on the foot board, looking as if they had been washed.

The soldiers marched down through her esophagus and to her chest, blocking the air and beating up her heart. She pulled the blanket off of her and her nerves mixed with confusion. She was in her pajama shorts and tank top.

 _What the hell happened last night?_

Then she realized she was alone and her panic grew.

"Reggie?" she called out, grasping her hair. "Where are you?"

She waited for a few more minutes before getting up and changing into her other clothes. She tied her headscarf around her head like a bandanna and grabbed her hammers and bag before running out. The maroon wallpapers of the hallway were the same wallpaper that the inn lobby had, so she knew she wasn't taken anywhere else after she passed out. So why was she in some other room?

Sera sighed, sweat forming on her brow. Her brain struggled to remember the exact events of the drinking competition. The memory of the wine made her tongue tingle and she kept seeing grey eyes and a talking polar bear that she probably hallucinated. Was that wine drugged? Sera had never hallucinated before, so the wine probably _was_ drugged. Because, in all honesty, no matter how drunk she was, Sera was responsible enough not to be in _that_ kind of situation!

The hallway led to the inn lobby, right beside the kitchen where she saw Reggie. He was standing on a stool so he could reach the top of the counter, his back facing her. From what she could see, he was stirring eggs and possibly coconut milk in a bowl. Bowls of other ingredients were laid out, too. A chef and a few kitchen aids were hustling about, but gave a large space around her brother.

"Oh, you're awake, Miss," said a man. She turned and recognized him as the innkeeper. He was sitting at the dining booth where Sera was going to sleep the other night. A woman his age (wife, maybe?) smiled warmly at her. "It's not even dawn, yet. You should rest a little longer."

Reggie almost tumbled off his stool when he spotted her. He blushed before frowning. "Why aren't you sleeping? You're not supposed to come down here, yet!"

Sera giggled and walked over to ruffle his hair. She looked down at what he was making and grinned even more. Salmon frittata, her favorite hangover breakfast. "Aw, Sprout, were you going to surprise me with breakfast?"

Reggie blushed more and sat on the stool to sulk. "Not a surprise anymore."

Relief flooded her veins. "I bet you're the one who changed my clothes, huh? Such a caring, sweet brother!" The red was trailing up to his ears and neck. Sera decided to stop teasing him for the moment and addressed the innkeeper. "Good morning, sir. Was it your room that I was sleeping in?"

The man blushed slightly, scratching his head sheepishly. "'Yes, as an apology for last night. I didn't think someone would drink so much."

Sera grinned. _Thank God, I was only overreacting_. "Thank you for your concern. Did I win? I'm afraid that I only remember a few things from last night…."

"I already gave your brother the reward money—"

"You're lucky you didn't get alcohol poisoning," Reggie grumbled. "When you get cancer, I'll rub it in your face that I was right!"

Sera put a hand over her heart, mocking hurt. She grabbed Reggie into her arms, making him squeal in surprise, and cuddled him to her chest like a teddy bear. "Sprout, that hurts. I thought you loved your big sister? What should I do? Stop drinking?"

Reggie's cheeks only got redder and he struggled out of her grasp. He yelled at her with shark teeth. "Like that's ever going to happen! I know you keep a stash of beer!"

It was Sera's turn to blush. She finally let her brother go (his shouting was making her head ring), and he marched off and sat at table. Sera knew for a fact that she was embarrassing him. He _was_ a ten-year-old, so he really didn't like her smothering him in public. Although, to think he knew this entire time that she didn't quit drinking…. Well, she was starting to feel guilty for lying.

Not gonna stop her from drinking forever, though. Sera shrugged and began to fix the frittata her brother started. (It was obvious he was trying to make it from memory; there were too many eggs and a lack of spices.) Cooking and three glasses of water helped ease the killer headache, but by the time she placed the dish in the oven, she wanted to fall asleep. It was around that time when Reggie started talking to the innkeeper.

"Do you know Geronimo Ralph?"

The innkeeper was wiping the tables when Reggie spoke and accidentally rammed his leg onto a table. "What business do you have with that young man?" The innkeeper sounded so surprised and uncomfortable while he nursed his leg. Sera quirked an eyebrow.

"Sis wants to talk to him," Reggie said. "He does live in this island, right? It said so in a biography of his…."

Sera watched as the man and woman glanced at each other. The woman spoke, "I didn't realize you were a fan of Mr. Geronimo."

Geronimo Ralph, a man famous for his travels. He was a young man who had apparently been to the Grand Line numerous times and traveled to various islands. He had published books about his travels, although Sera always thought them self-absorbed and somewhat iffy. Sera normally wouldn't have cared about some traveler, but there was a certain rumor about him and she needed to find out if it was true. (However, how often was it that someone was able to leave the Grand Line? It took Sera three years to do so and it was far from easy.)

"Is he here?" Sera asked.

"He is." The innkeeper crossed his arms and it was obvious he was trying to hide his disdain. "A very pompous man. He likes to babble on and on about his travels whenever he comes down from his house in the mountains."

"So he really had been to the Grand Line?"

"He leaves for a long time and then comes back. That's all I can say."

Sera frowned and buried her face among her arms on the counter. Her stomach was churning again from both her hangover and the fact that what she feared most might be true: That the last _three years_ of her life was _wasted._

 _Please let him be an honest traveler and not some freaking fraud…. I'll kill somebody._

It was tiring repeating that phrase like a mantra. Sera almost fell asleep when the timer dinged. Reggie's footsteps—light boots smacking against the wooden floor—kept her from lifting her head. The oven door opened and closed, the sound of a ceramic pot being set on a metal rack, and the delicious smell of salmon frittata.

Damn, she was hungry. She hadn't eaten that much before the drinking competition, which was probably why she didn't last as long as she normally could. And she was more of a sake person than a wine person. She wondered if she could sneak in a bottle of some good sake later on...?

"Um…excuse me?"

Sera blinked at the new voice. It seemed…familiar, somehow. Reggie choked and when Sera decided to look up, she froze and her jaw dropped. Standing right at the doorway leading to the inn lobby was the jumpsuit-wearing polar bear she hallucinated the night before. Their eyes locked—wide hazel eyes against beady black eyes—and then the bear did something surprising.

It bowed its head and apologized. For what? Sera was not sure. Her mind was never this creative. The optimistic side of her was trying to comfort her by saying that the bear was cute, but it wasn't really working.

"Um…I just wanted to see if I could order some food…" the bear said before apologizing again.

Slowly, very slowly, Sera turned to meet the eyes of the innkeeper and said, "What kind of drug did you put in that wine?"

* * *

Law woke up seeing that he was still in the lobby of the inn he had taken refuge in from the rain…and that a girl was sticking her face into his navigator's mouth. The sight was enough to make his jaw drop, because that was something you just shouldn't wake up to. Or even be _doing_ if you had any sense of self-preservation and intelligence. Was he still awake? He could be dreaming; he felt tired enough to be still asleep. Then Bepo's eyes turned to look at him, urging him to help him escape that uncomfortable position he somehow found himself in. Pushing himself up despite that his head was telling him to lie back down and rest, Law walked over to where Bepo and the odd girl were standing.

The smell of salmon and egg made his stomach grumble, but he ignored it. He met Bepo's pleading and confused eyes; he was straining to keep his jaw as open as possible. The innkeeper and his wife were at the side, looking shocked and scared as Law approached. A glasses-wearing kid was banging his head on a table, muttering incoherent words.

"What are you doing?"

It was the kid that reacted first although it wasn't him that Law was talking to. He looked at Law with wide eyes that were exemplified by the lenses. Then he glanced back at the girl who still had her face in Bepo's mouth and groaned.

"Miss?" Law tried again, his patience wearing through. His headache was horrible, he felt like emptying his stomach, and he was sure his organs did not appreciate consuming so much alcohol. Law did not need _this_ to ruin more of his day.

The girl stuck her head out from Bepo's mouth and the bear quickly backed away. She looked at him with quizzical eyes that were slightly red and puffy from a lack of sleep. A spotted bandanna covered most of her brown hair. It took a minute for Law to remember that she was the girl from last night who defeated him in the drinking contest. A pang of annoyance stretched in his chest. He didn't exactly remember, but he was sure she had insulted him.

Oh yes, his day was getting better and better.

"She scares me," Bepo muttered after he stepped behind Law.

Law kept his eyes on the woman. "What were you doing to my navigator?"

She hummed and tapped her chin. "He wasn't a hallucination nor was he a man in a polar bear suit. I was only checking if that was true or not, but I didn't see a man in the back of his throat. Your breath smells like fish, by the way"—she directed that last part to Bepo, then continued— "so that leaves one thing. Did you eat a Devil Fruit?"

Bepo's ears dropped. "No. I'm sorry."

Law quirked an eyebrow. It wasn't often that someone talked about Devil Fruits, much less knew what they were. "Bepo is a Mink."

The girl blinked and pursed her lips in thought. "A mink, huh…Isn't that a type of weasel?"

The throbbing in Law's head was worsening. Normally, he wouldn't bother to tell others what species his old friend was, since then he'd have to explain what a Mink actually was. Bepo was used to the stares even if he got depressed and Law was always there to make sure other people's interest never went too far. (There were a few instances of mismatched limbs and… _volunteers_ for his operations whenever that did happen.) But for some reason, he wasn't sure how to react. Who would willingly put their face into some bear's mouth?

In the end, Law decided that she wasn't worth the energy.

The girl slammed her fist on the palm of her hand. "Oh! I remember now! You're the guy who almost beat me. Damn, you could drink."

Law refrained from wincing from the volume of her voice. It was a little after dawn, cloudy outside so the clock was the only indication, and men were still sleeping in the lobby. Shachi and Penguin were still snoring on the chairs after they passed out from the alcohol. Surely, she should be more considerate.

(Not that Law really cares for the others. _He_ had a raging headache and he wanted as much quiet as possible.)

"Hungry?" she asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. She walked into the open kitchen and started to slice some type of food. "I made too much frittata. It'll help with the hangover…well, I think it might. I know it does for me."

She placed a large slice of the egg-salmon dish on a plate and held it out for Law. He just stared at it with a blank face.

"I'm a pretty good cook, you know." She was actually pouting like a child. "And I'm not charging you anything. It's _free._ "

The glasses-kid groaned again. "I swear, Sis…."

"What?" A question mark floated above her head.

Hesitating for another moment, Law finally decided to take the dish. He was hungry and he wasn't going to turn down free food when his crew was running low on money. The thought made him frown. Money for the food supplies, which was the only reason that Shachi and Penguin managed to talk him into doing something as idiotic as a drinking competition.

She even offered Bepo a slice. He seemed wary to go near her, so the woman's brother gave him the plate instead. Bepo was practically drooling. Then the woman proceeded to wrap two slices in a plastic container before strapping a backpack and two bronze hammers across her back. Law narrowed his eyes at the hammers; the four sphere ends were as big as both his fists combined, yet she seemed to carry it on her back with ease.

"Alrighty then! Thanks for everything," she said to the innkeeper. To Law and Bepo, she said, "Hope you like it and don't waste any of it! There's more if you want more. See ya later. Let's go, Sprout."

The kid nodded eagerly while trying to put on a backpack and a jacket at the same time. She laughed and helped him before lifting him up on her shoulders and jogging out. The door slammed loudly, making Law wince at the noise and some men grumbled in their sleep. When they were gone, Bepo said, quite bluntly, "She was weird."

Law couldn't agree more.

"But the food is good," Bepo said after taking a giant bite from his serving.

Law studied the egg-salmon dish before cutting off a piece with his fork and taking a slow bite. His eyes widened slightly. "Hm…."

"We still need a chef. And to resupply." Bepo wasn't trying to imply anything, Law knew. The food just reminded him of the predicament they were facing. Law looked back at the leftovers of the frittata and wondered if he should save some for Shachi and Penguin when they wake up. Then realizing that they wouldn't be awake until around noon and the food would be cold by then, Law wouldn't have any qualms with them trying to find their own meals for now.

Law sighed and chewed a salmon-filled piece. Food issues indeed.

* * *

 **First off, thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorite, and/or followed the story. It made me happy!**

 **This chapter took a bit of time to update. (Like I mentioned in the last chapter, I do not update regularly.) I had it done, but then I redid it completely because I constantly change my mind about how it should go.**

 **I'm wary about how I wrote Law. He's a hard character, but since I figured he was hungover and it was early in the morning, he wouldn't be trying to react so much.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed it. If there was anything wrong or have any advice, don't hesitate to tell me. Tell me what you think, leave suggestions, or give constructive criticism.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own One Piece. Any original characters in this story belongs to me.**

* * *

It was almost noon when Sera and Reggie finally made it the forest on the outskirts of town. It had taken a while to find directions to the traveler's home and for Sera to recover from her hangover. (She had vomited in an alley and proceeded to take a nap in a park bench, giving up her share of frittata to Reggie, who had taken it as his job to make sure his sister didn't embarrass herself even more.) Sera took another half hour to muster up the courage to enter the seemingly peaceful forest.

She should have taken the long way around instead of the straightforward path.

Most organisms in a forest were relatively safe to handle. Squirrels were cute and harmless. Bugs weren't a problem since they were tiny and could be squished under her foot. Lizards were typically small in these types of forest, which wasn't that big nor thick. Even wild dogs and potential bandits weren't a problem; she had her hammers strapped to her back to defend against any attackers.

However, there was one animal that Sera couldn't stand. And one of them was meowing with a mischievous tone, as if casting a spell to make that branch Sera was perching on to break so she would fall and break her skull.

Sera wasn't sure why cats were even labeled as animals when they were demons sent to the surface to make her life hell. The black cat was the worst. They were bad luck and everybody knew it. There was a collar around that cat's neck, too. She pitied whoever owned that damn black cat, for that person would have a short life.

Why did it seem like that cat's eyes were digging right into her skull? Her headache seemed to have gotten worse from the stare. Sera refused to look down and continued hugging the tree trunk like a koala. The rough bark was scratching the palms of her hands, her knuckles turning pale. There were some ants crawling in front of her face and she had to be careful not to inhale them with how heavily she was breathing.

"Sis, the cat won't do anything!" Reggie called out. "Get down from there!"

"No," she said in a strained voice. "This tree is actually pretty friendly and the ants are quite fun to watch."

She heard Reggie sigh. Various types of material clashed—candy wrappers and paper crumbling, metal clinking, fabric rustling. Reggie had always worn giant pockets to keep his junk in. Sera wasn't sure why he kept a lot of junk in his pockets. It was usually her that had to clean them out during laundry day and it wasn't fun.

There was a rustle of a plastic bag being opened and Reggie began talking in a playful tone. "Come here. Look, I have some tuna-flavored cat treats…. Go and catch it!"

Small footsteps dashed away until it was out of earshot. Sera slowly looked down and saw Reggie glaring up at her. "Is it gone?" Sera asked, her cheeks turning pink.

Reggie nodded. Sera sighed out in relief and came down from the tree. She swatted the ants off her clothes, although it felt as if ants were still crawling up her spine. Her throat was dry and her body shook. What would happen? She'd trip and fall on her face or maybe hit her head on a rock? Or maybe she would fall into a cold lake. Or break her arm. Or Reggie would find out that she had stolen a few cans of beer from the inn and kept it safely hidden in her bag for the near future.

A sharp slap to the arm snapped her back to reality. It didn't hurt, but Sera cradled her hand to her chest and frowned.

"Nothing bad is going to happen," Reggie said. He stuffed the cat food into one of his jacket's many pockets. "Sis, don't you think you should have agreed to those therapy sessions that Doc had offered before? It's annoying having to always carry cat food. It takes too much space in my pockets."

Her eyebrow twitched. "How about you throw away the junk instead? Ninety-nine percent of the stuff inside is trash anyways." She paused and then yelled, "I don't need therapy! My fear of cats is reasonable!"

Sera wasn't sure why she and her brother were having this conversation in the first place. They had it dozens of times already. Reggie seemed to realize this, for he just sighed and shook his head as if _he_ was the older sibling lecturing the younger. That only irked Sera even more.

She didn't say anything, though, and continued down the trail that the townsfolk had said will lead up to Ralph's home. Something was going to go wrong, because something always does after a cat comes by. That thought almost made her want to turn back.

* * *

They were resorted to hunting. After finishing breakfast and taking a nap, Law had Bepo drag Shachi and Penguin back to the submarine. The rest of his crew were getting through brunch with whatever food they had left and by the looks of it, it was the food supplies that they had brought the day before. That itself wasn't much.

Law should have gone to his room for a nap to ease his hangover, but he doubted he would be able to sleep in the silence and with caffeine in his system. Not to say that the galley was any better, although he knew his crew was trying to keep the volume down. Shachi and Penguin were talking about the drinking contest from the night before. Bepo even pitched in at the end and mentioned the woman's cooking. This, of course, led to shouts of dismay towards Law from his two mechanics.

Lowering his coffee mug from his lips, Law raised an eyebrow at the two mechanics who decided to lean into his personal bubble. Shachi and Penguin were sporting giant frowns and Law could imagine the attempt of kicked-puppy look in their eyes…if he could see their eyes.

"It was good," Law said with a shrug, knowing that they were wondering why he didn't save any food for them. "You know the rules."

They sighed in unison and shrank back to their seats. "First come, first serve," Shachi grumbled.

"But that's just cruel, Captain, having such a cutie-chan cook for you," Penguin said as he stabbed a piece of scrambled egg. "Must be better than this tasteless crap. Dominick mistook sugar for the salt again."

Shachi nodded. He looked ready to hurl. "Captain is too lucky."

Law sighed and shook his head. "You remember the face of that girl, but you don't remember anything else."

They shrugged. "She was hot."

"You think every woman is hot," Bepo said bluntly, sending the two an accusing look. The two mechanics glared at him and Bepo immediately turned sorrowful. "I'm sorry."

Law honestly didn't want to continue talking about the woman. There was no point. He stood up and Bepo followed his lead, grabbing Law's nodachi. Shachi and Penguin got up as well to toss their breakfast in the trash, which was already overflowing with rotting failures.

"Man, I don't feel like hunting," Penguin said as he rubbed his temple.

"Oh, suck it up. It's better than going hungry," Shachi said. He grabbed some rope and sacks to carry any of their game. "I wonder if we'll get lucky and find some deer?"

"Does it matter? It will all taste like crap with the way these people cook." Penguin jabbed a thumb behind him at the people in the galley. Immediately, a large spoon was smashed into the back of his head, sending him face-first onto the tabletop.

"Like you can cook any better! At least I don't burn the food!" shouted Dominick, one of the mechanics of the submarine. He lit his cigarette as he glared down at Penguin.

"It's a miracle you _haven't_ , you damn pyromaniac!" Penguin shouted as he nursed the growing bump on the back of his head.

"What does that mean?"

The rest of the Heart Pirates began crowding around, anticipating the growing fight. If his crew was acting like this around their captain, then there was no doubt that his crew was a bit restless from the lack of action following their recent stunt that gave Law his bounty. The shouting was becoming louder and the crew started to cheer. Law's head was starting to ache again from the noise.

Slowly, Law grabbed his nodachi and walked up right beside the wresting mechanics. Before they even realized him there, Law knocked their heads with the butt of his sword's hilt, sending them to the floor. His crew snapped back to their places, acting as if they haven't been encouraging a fight.

Law sighed again. He tolerated them far too much.

"Come on," he said as he walked away from the two figures on the floor. "We don't have time to deal with this childish nonsense unless you want to confront the Marines on empty stomachs."

"We're sorry," Penguin and Dominick muttered as they nursed their wounds. Shachi snickered at them.

"Everybody." His crew sat up in attention. "Don't slack off."

"Aye, Captain!"

* * *

The house was big, to put it quite simply. An elegant mansion stood at the base of the mountain with a tall iron gate painted gold surrounding the house about a fifth of a mile around. Within, the wildlife had been cut down and replaced with topiary and a waterfall pond. Different grass from the wild was planted and flowered vines wrapped around stone statues. It was like the owner tried to separate his house from the wild as much as possible.

Sera placed a hand on the gate and scratched off a piece of the golden paint. Was the gate necessary? From what she had seen, there were hardly any beasts that someone would have to worry about attacking, unless he wanted to protect his foliage. These types of gates weren't even good enough to keep thieves away, with how it barely reached above Sera's head and the gaps between each bar wide enough for Reggie to slip through.

There were no guards or an intercom to speak into. Sera pushed the gate and it slid open without even the slightest of creaks. She and Reggie shared a glance. What was the point of a gate if it was unlocked?

"I guess he's welcoming?" Reggie said with a shrug.

It took five minutes to get to the front door. No traps popped up at them from the topiaries nor did any cats show up. The porch was decorated with antique-looking wall hangings and odd little statues of people and beasts. One in particular was of a human with downward-pointing wings and antenna hair, her arms carrying shells. Sera narrowed her eyes. She had never been to the sky islands, but from what she had been told, that statue was inaccurate. Birkan wings on a Skypeian?

Sera grasped the doorknocker and slammed it against the mahogany three times. It was a deep, resounding sound, followed by a long moment of silence. A bird chirped from its perch on a tree and Sera knocked again.

This time, there was the sound of sliding of wood and the siblings looked up to see a pair of eyes looking down at them through a sliding peephole. The peephole was almost a foot above them, very close to the top of the door, and Sera wondered if the man can even see them.

"Step back so I can see you," he said in a deep, gruff voice.

They stepped back, although not without hesitation. The man, possibly middle-aged with the signs of wrinkles around his beady eyes, stared at them like a hawk. After a minute, he spoke again.

"You are here to see Master Geronimo?"

Sera nodded. "Yes. Is he here by any chance?"

He hummed. His eyes darted up and down her figure. "You don't seem like a thief. If you are here to join Master's harem, then you have a lot of competition. We don't keep kids, either."

…

 _What?_

Reggie choked while Sera's eyes slightly widened. Did Sera hear correctly? Already, she can imagine the type of guy she was going to have to meet and her mouth turned bitter.

"I think you misunderstood," Sera said in an attempt to be polite. "I did not come here to join your master's... _harem_. I merely want to talk to him about his adventures."

"Oh, I see. You are a fan of Master Geronimo's travels! Come in. Master had just finished eating lunch and he loves talking to his fans."

The peephole was then shut. Reggie muttered, "This better be worth three years of labor, Sis."

As if he needed to say that.

The door swung open. Sera and Reggie's eyes stayed on the level of the peephole, but then trailed down when they didn't see the man. Their eyes continued trailing down until they had to bend their heads and they barely managed to hold back the surprise from showing on their faces.

The old man had a giant block head that was highly disproportionate to his tiny stature, shorter than even Reggie who barely reached Sera's waist. His chin was low enough to reach his chest.

"Come in," he said, his gruff voice contrasting heavily with his appearance. His face scrunched up as if he was constipating. "Master Geronimo does not like to be kept waiting."

He led them inside, where he had instructed Sera to leave her weapons and bag near the door before grabbing her jacket and hanging it on a coat hanger. Reggie shook his head when the man offered to take his jacket, which the man just sneered at, no doubt thinking that the jacket was too unfit to be inside the house.

At least, Sera thought that was the case with how expensive the place looked. The entrance alone was enough to make her feel shabby in her ripped jeans, long sleeve, and vest. The mansion seemed bigger in the inside than it did outside, with smooth tile floors and white platforms holding sculptures and ceramic art, like an art museum. Paintings and other items decorated the walls and Sera spotted a few masks here and there. The block-headed man led them to a living room that smelled like chamomile tea and cheap perfume. The first thing she noticed when they entered was the stuffed head of a sea king on top of a glass door facing a garden and the mural of a world map on that same wall. Her eyes followed the strip of ocean in the center and how it connected to the twin strips of land that separated the four seas. There wasn't room for another ocean with that map.

That was what many said, anyways.

Reggie stepped a bit closer to Sera and sneezed. Giggles made her turn her attention away from the map and towards a bright red love-seat where a man was sitting at with six women surrounding him. The man was blonde and had bright blue eyes that studied Sera's figure. He was dressed in only silk pants, showing off his toned torso. He was handsome, almost like a prince, which only meant that he was probably a snob. Already, the doubt she had been harboring about the credibility of the alleged traveler grew. How could a man, who was not much older than her, been to so many places in the Grand Line during his young adult years?

The six women were eyeing her warily, although a few gave her smug looks, as if saying, _"This girl doesn't stand a chance."_ They were in scanty dresses of different colors, faces coated in makeup, and long hair that probably took hours to curl. One woman was feeding the man grapes, the other messaging his shoulders, while the rest laid either at his feet or sitting on any free spot on the couch.

The block-head really wasn't kidding about the harem.

"Who is this young woman, Gregory?" said the man, voice smooth but higher than what Sera would have thought.

"She is a fan of your adventures, Master," the block-head said. "She came to hear your stories in person."

A wide smirk erupted on the man's face and he tilted his head back to laugh. "Is that so? It's been a long time since someone had come to hear my great tales. Well, sit down and have some tea…?"

"My name's Sera. And this is my brother, Reggie," Sera said.

"And I am Geronimo Ralph, but please call me Ralph." He then eyed Reggie with a blank look. "Gregory, how about you show this young boy the garden? You know my policy with kids."

Sera and Reggie glanced at each other. Ralph waved a hand and said, "Little kids cannot fully comprehend my magnificent stories and they can't sit still long enough to try."

"Hey!" Reggie shouted. Sera narrowed her eyes at the blonde.

"Oh, such a nasty look, Sera-chan," Ralph said. He started running his fingers in the hair of the woman massaging him. "I'm only joking. I don't feel comfortable talking about my stories to a child. Not all of my stories are kid appropriate."

Sera didn't trust leaving Reggie alone with the block-head, but she ruffled his hair in assurance. Reggie nodded and followed Gregory out to the backyard, passing through the glass doors under the Sea King's head. She watched them leave until they were hidden by the tall, flowering plants and décor.

Ralph gestured on the cream-colored coach across from him. Sera sat down lazily, leaning her torso back so she could put her hands inside the pockets of her vest where she kept her backup meteor hammer in the pocket in case of emergencies. She crossed her leg over the other and opened her mouth to ask her long-awaited question when he started speaking.

"Where should I start? You've heard of my stories from the biographies, yes? They don't do my stories justice! Which is your favorite one?" Ralph paused for barely a second before he continued. "Oh, how about the story of how I entered the Calm Belt? A marvelous story of my heroics! My crew and I were enjoying the weather when suddenly, a gale flung us away from our track and into the Calm Belt!"

His women gasped as if this was the first time they had heard of this tale, which Sera doubted. Ralph proceeded to tell how sea kings attempted to eat his crew, how he fought the strongest sea king off with his sword, and blah, blah, blah. It was like he tried to make the story exciting, but with the way he presented it made the story unrealistic and boring.

"That head that you were staring at when you came in is the head of the king of sea kings!" he finished proudly after three minutes of pointless adjectives.

Sera blinked and looked at the sea king head. It was a big head, but far too small to be of a sea king from the Calm Belt. Those sea kings were _gigantic_. The stuffed head would have been eaten alive if it had the luck to be born there. If anything, it would be one of those that inhabited the Four Seas. And was there even a king among the sea king species?

Ralph was looking at her expectantly, eyebrow raised. Sera realized she hadn't reacted at all.

"Oh…my…god," Sera said, acting breathless. She sat upright and clasped her hands together in front of her chest. "That was so cool! So heroic…you must be the strongest man alive!"

Ralph laughed and tossed his head back to move his bangs out of the way. "Ah, yes! You can expect it. How often do you hear a man who defeated a sea king from the Calm Belt?"

"…Never!"

"Exactly. And then there was the time I—"

"I heard rumors that you know secrets regarding the All Blue."

Silence. One of the women tried to stifle a laugh. Ralph sent her a look and she turned away, cheeks red.

Ralph tapped his chin. "Hm…All Blue, the legendary sea where the Four Seas meet. I've never been there myself, but my grandfather wrote in his travel log about it. Many people come here to try to take it, but they never succeeded. It _is_ valuable treasure." He looked at her with a small smile. "Are you a chef, Sera-chan?"

Sera nodded.

His smile seemed to widen. "Marvelous! But you know, I can't just give you my grandfather's log. Like I said, it is valuable. But, for such a cute fan of mine, I will consider it. Now, how about I continue with another story? There was a time when my crew was invaded by a fleet of pirates—"

 _Don't punch the guy, don't punch the guy, don't punch the guy…_

* * *

Law sat on a rock under a tree, wiping off the blood on his nodachi. At his feet were three carcasses of deer that had been grazing peacefully before their heads were cut off. Bepo had snagged a couple of rabbits while Penguin and Shachi had yet to return. It was almost two hours since they had separated to catch food and while Law knew his two mechanics can take care of themselves, he couldn't help worrying that they would bring trouble that _he_ had to deal with.

"Would this be enough, Captain?" Bepo asked as he stared down at the carcasses.

Law sighed. "Maybe for two days, if we reduce our portions."

Bepo frowned and he sniffed the air. "I smell the animals, but I think they all went to hide. Or there wasn't a lot of animals to begin with." He wrinkled his nose and plopped down on the ground beside Law. "Captain, we're nearing the Grand Line and we still don't have a chef. All the ones we hired don't stay long."

Law finished cleaning his nodachi and he sheathed, leaning it on a tree beside him. He leaned back on the tree and closed his eyes. He and his crew had been traveling the North Blue for nearly five months and they were all becoming impatient, including Law. He had planned his journey carefully for years, delicately chose his crew members, collected as much information as possible about the Grand Line, and trained for the obstacles that the sea would throw at him. However, there were some things that he couldn't control, like how his crew couldn't find a permanent chef. Eight chefs had gone by and the last one quit a month ago, because he apparently couldn't handle the work.

(Law had warned every single one of them that the position was the hardest. It was their faults for not believing it and not having the endurance.)

"Captain!" two voices said in sync. Law opened his eyes and turned to where Penguin and Shachi were running from, wide smiles on their faces.

"Couldn't find anything?" he said with a blank face.

"We didn't find any animals, but we found something better!" Penguin said as he buried the hilt of his spear into the dirt, making it stand upright.

"There's a mansion up near the mountains," Shachi said. He smirked and rubbed his hands together. "Whoever lives in that house must be loaded."

A smirk made its way on Law's face. He chuckled. "Good job. Should we get the rest of the crew?"

"There weren't any guards or anything, so it should be an easy job."

 _The owner must be an idiot,_ Law thought, although he didn't complain. His luck was finally rising. They were in need of money and food and now they could get both at one go.

And he had been itching for some action.

* * *

Gregory left Reggie outside in the garden soon after he was brought out and he had been wandering the garden for nearly an hour. Reggie didn't mind at all—the block-head was weird and it was becoming painful to hold back his laugh at the constipated face he made whenever he spoke. The garden was nice, too, and he thought that Sera would have liked to see it. She had always had some fascination with plants.

Reggie went from plant to plant, trying to name the ones that seemed familiar. It was easy to name the herbs located inside a small greenhouse, because those were used a lot in cooking and medicine and he made sure to remember them. He spent a great deal of time in that greenhouse before he forced himself to move on. There were the flowers, which he was surprised to see growing outside in the cold. He thought flowers didn't grow in areas as cold as the North Blue.

The backyard was huge and disorganized, but the mansion was tall enough to see, so he didn't get lost. He found a wooden trellis wrapped in some weird plant he had never seen before. It had dark green vines with sharp-looking thorns and giant leaves. There were bunches of purple flowers and a few green buds the size of his fists, similar in appearance to Venus Fly Traps.

He came close, stepping warily on the dead grass and vines near the trellis. The vines were thick and tightly wounded to the trellis. The flowers were soft and bright, but there was a bit of a stink coming from it, like something rotten. His eyes moved to the green buds.

"Hey, kid! Get away from there!"

Reggie jumped and looked at Gregory, but then there was a sharp, prickling sensation in his arm. He screamed and pulled his arm back, causing the green bud to unhinge and snap back to the trellis, its spikes dripping with a colored substance and blood.

Th effect was quick. His heart ran into his chest. His throat constricted, leaving him in gasps. His head spun and become dotted with spots until he couldn't see. Even as he passed out, he could feel the pain.

* * *

It was understandably difficult to keep the charade of a fangirl with the nonsense the alleged traveler was spouting out. It was almost an hour since Sera arrived and all Ralph had done was talk, talk, and talk. She even praised the women of his harem for enduring him this long. Or maybe they were just so stupid that once a story was over, they completely forgot it and didn't mind having it retold. Over and over again. They kept gasping at the boring suspense, tearing up at any moments that were probably supposed to be heartbreaking, and swooning at any of the cliché heroism. They did it in sync, too, as if they share one brain!

Still, they were better to watch and judge than the fake traveler. Sera was considering using violence to have him give his grandfather's logbook to her. Her body was becoming sluggish from the junk going into her head and her patience was running thin.

Ralph finally finished his story about him meeting some dwarves and Sera interjected before he could start another.

"Ralph-sama, have you considered sharing your grandfather's logbook with me?" she asked, almost sneering at the prefix she had to use. She leaned forward and tilted her head to give a pleading look. "I _love_ your stories, but I really want to hear about the All Blue. Please?"

He thought for a moment. "I don't know. You seem like a good lady, but I don't know if you're worthy enough. Not even my lovers or Gregory had seen my grandfather's logbook. But, if you work hard enough to change my mind, then maybe I can let you take a peek. I have been wanting someone new."

The comment and his lecherous look was her break point.

Sera got up, took a deep breath, and then said, "I'm giving you one more chance, Geronimo. Tell me what your grandfather had said about the All Blue."

Ralph raised an eyebrow. "Are you threatening me, Sera-chan? That's not very ladylike—"

Sera punched him in the face, hard enough to send the couch tipping backwards. The girls screamed and ran off to a corner in the room.

"R-Ralph-sama!" they shouted.

Ralph clutched his bloody cheek and stared wide-eyed at Sera. He crawled back from her, shoulders trembling. "L-L-Look! Let's t-talk this out! Y-You want t-to know about the A-All B-Blue, r-right? Um…my g-grandfather s-said that…that"—his eyes darted back and forth as he continued crawling away from her— "…that it's located under the Red Line! That's right! It's under the Red Line!"

Sera's eyebrow twitched. "THAT THEORY HAD BEEN DEBUNKED EVER SINCE THE WORLD GOVERNMENT DID UNDERWATER EXPEDITIONS, YOU DAMN FRAUD! Rumors said that your grandfather had clues that nobody had ever found before, so tell me what it is!"

"I…I don't know! My g-grandfather never went out to sea! I made it all up!"

…

For some reason, Sera wasn't as upset as she thought she would have been. It didn't stop her from crushing his cheekbone.

"Damn it!" Sera clutched her head and screamed. "Three years of my life!"

While Sera screamed imprecations in the air, Ralph started to crawl away towards his front door, bits of blood dripping onto the floor from him busted cheek. His women followed him, but before he can even grasp the front door's handle, Gregory came in carrying Reggie on his back.

"Master Geronimo!" Gregory gasped out as he took in the scene in front of him.

Eyes turned to him. Sera immediately silenced and her mouth opened in a silent gasp. "Reggie!"

Gregory set him down on the couch and stepped away. Sera kneeled down and grasped Reggie's cheeks, feeling how hot his skin was. His right arm was bleeding and secreting something sickly white from large, punctured holes. Sweat was dampening his hair and clothes. His breath was labored, as if he was having an asthma attack.

She doubted his inhaler would help now, though.

"What did you do?" she shouted at Gregory. She grabbed his shirt and shook him violently.

He screamed. "L-Let go of me! It was his fault!"

"What?" Sera stopped shaking him so he could speak properly.

Gregory gulped. "The Poison Molly bit him!"

It took a moment for Sera to recognize the name. Her grasp on his shirt tightened and her eyes darkened. "You have an _illegal plant_ that the World Government forbade anyone to domesticate? What idiot does that? They're predatory and its poison can kill within an hour!" Sera's eyes widened. " _Shit._ Where's the antidote?"

"We don't have any! Master Geronimo got it from an underground transaction along with most of his stuff in this house!" he shouted out in fear.

Ralph made a strangled sound in his throat and he cowered when Sera sent her death glare at him. Sera pushed Gregory back onto his rump and he scrambled away.

Reggie's skin was turning pale and he started to writhe and cry. Sera's insides were doing the same. She ran a hand through his hair, hushing him to calm down, even though it was futile. The antidote for the Poison Molly was rarer than the poisonous plant and she doubted she could find it in North Blue's cold climate.

 _Hospital_.

That was the only choice, even if they can't do anything. Sera picked up Reggie and was about to run out when the door was forced open and a familiar polar bear crashed into the room in a kung-Fu pose and cry. Her jaw dropped open at the sudden, unexpected entrance that was just too...random.

"Bepo?"

The ferocious look disappeared from the bear's face. "Oh, it's you. There was a lot of screaming coming from here. Are you okay?" Then his eyes fell on Reggie and his jaw dropped. "What happened to him?"

Three men strolled in, one being the fuzzy-hatted captain. The other was a ginger and the third was a man whose face was covered by the brim of his hat. "We were supposed to sneak in, Bepo, not crash inside like some madman," said the ginger.

Law raised an eyebrow at Ralph and his women. Then he turned to Sera and his smirk dropped. His eyes were almost unblinking as he studied Reggie and Sera thought he looked like a scientist studying some specimen. What were they doing here in the first place?

Her brother convulsed and let out a silent scream, causing Sera to almost drop him in shock. How much time did she stupidly waste standing there? "Where's the hospital?" she asked Gregory.

"The hospital wouldn't have the antidote for that poison, Miss," Law said.

Sera faltered, knowing it was true, but... "They have to do something!" she snapped, glaring up at him with clenched teeth. She started to run, but he shot an arm out in front of her. She glared at him. _What_ _was the deal with this jackass?_

Law smirked at her. "I might have some blue-ringed flower extraction left. I could spare some to cure your brother"—her eyes widened— "but it wouldn't be cheap with how rare it is."

"I don't care what the price is! Just save my brother! Please!" Sera hated how desperate she sounded, but that was what she was at the moment. The question of how he had gotten the antidote didn't stick long in her mind.

The pirate seemed amused for some reason. Law turned to his crew members and said, "Take everything you can and head back to the ship as soon as possible."

They looked taken aback at their captain's command, but saluted and began raiding the house. Ralph and his people screamed and stayed back in a huddle.

Law gestured for the girl to follow him. "I suggest we run if we want to make it to my submarine in time."

She hesitated. Reggie's words about the pirate rookie played in her mind. "How should I trust you? You're a pirate."

Law sighed. "I'm a doctor," he said, staring her right in the eyes with determination and passion that looked so painfully familiar that she felt almost guilty for doubting him. Then he gave a cold, challenging smirk. "Unless you want your brother to die?"

Damn jerk.

* * *

 **Sorry it took so long and the quality might not be worth the wait. I don't know, but I hoped you enjoyed it regardless.**

 **And a note on the Poison Molly and the Blue-Ringed flower, they're both made up. I couldn't find a poisonous flower that would force Sera to let a pirate cure Reggie when a hospital would probably have a cure. And most poisonous plants have to be digested to cause such lethal results, I think.**

 **Thank you for those who reviewed, followed, or added this story to your favorites list! Like always, feel free to tell me what you think or give any advice!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: One Piece belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I own only my OCs.**

* * *

Sera learned a few things about the Heart Pirates within the next half hour after the mansion incident. First, Trafalgar Law seemed to know what he was doing and his medical assistants seemed to act almost as if they already knew what was going on. As soon as Sera stepped onto the submarine, ten minutes after she left the mansion, Law only had to shout for his medical crew and the name of the poison before Reggie was ripped out of her arms and taken inside.

Second, she learned that the submarine was, of all the colors that could have been chosen, a blinding yellow. Whoever chose that color was off their rockers. Another thing she learned were that the pirates, who were apparently relaxing on deck before the whole commotion occurred, were pathetically weak-looking, as if they hadn't eaten anything in a few days. Even as they lounged around like potatoes, they lacked energy and their faces were slightly pale. A couple were hanging off the railings like they were vomiting.

A man smoking a cigarette and a buzz-cut came up to her, staring down at her with questioning eyes. On the left side of his head was a pattern made from his shaved hair: a smiley that looked exactly like the smiley on Law's hoodie. He looked slightly more healthier than the rest of the pirates, but there was a hint of bags under his eyes and the way he stood was sluggish.

"Who are ya? Mind telling us what's going on, Miss?" he asked.

Sera wrinkled her nose when the pungent, acrid smoke fluttered across her nose. "You either smoke fifteen yards away or you speak to me without that damn stick lit!" she said, swiping her hand in front of her in a futile attempt to swipe the smoke away.

He looked taken aback, but suddenly he smirked and began to laugh. The cigarette was still burning and his breath reeked of the stale smell. Sera took a step back and frowned.

"Nobody told me to quit smoking in that way before," he said, but made no motion towards his cigarette. He shoved a hand in his pocket and then held out his other hand. "Name's Dominick. I'm one of the mechanics of the Heart Pirates."

The name seemed familiar, but she couldn't figure out where from. Then again, they were probably rookies and had never made a name for themselves in the Grand Line, so there wasn't a need to remember their name. Sera glanced down at his hand then back at his face. She shook his hand, ignoring the stench of cigarette. "Sera."

"Well, then, Sarah, mind telling me what's going on? 'Cause I'm not sure if I'm supposed to let you in or kick you out."

Sera frowned again. _This guy…._ " _See-ra_. Not _Sarah_!"

Dominick raised an eyebrow. "That's what I said, wasn't it? Stop trying to change the subject, Samantha."

Her eyebrow twitched. "That's not my name!" she shouted, her teeth almost like a shark's.

"Stop bothering her, Dominick!" a woman said, popping out of nowhere and then smacking the man on the back of the head with a wrench.

Dominick yelled and cursed at her. "The hell, Amanda?"

"It's _Alice_ , you idiot! Get my name right!"

"At least I don't poison my crewmates!"

Alice, Sera immediately noticed, had a giant mane of peach-colored hair with her bangs pulled back in a bandanna. She, like the other pirates, wore a beige jumpsuit with the weird smiley where the heart was. Despite her having enough energy to yell, Sera saw the unhealthy condition of her skin.

If there was one thing Sera knew, it was the look of malnutrition. _These guys must have had some bad luck out at sea_ , she thought with a small frown.

Her pity, however, didn't last too long as the pirates argued. The other pirates that were lounging on deck turned to watch, some looking as though they were betting. Sera had to fight the bubble in her throat that wanted to come out, forcing her to grit her teeth. She couldn't risk getting in trouble with pirates, especially if her brother was inside somewhere on the struggle between life and death.

The thought of her brother gave her the strength to swallow that bubble. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. Even though she had the great need to punch and scream, she wouldn't. Not now, anyways.

"Excuse me!" Sera shouted in order to be heard over the ruckus. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to her. Sera looked at Dominick. "Can you please take me to where my brother is? I assume your captain took him to your infirmary."

"I passed by them some minutes ago," said Alice. A small frown was on her face. "The kid doesn't look very good, does he?"

 _You're a genius, aren't you_? Sera bit her bottom lip and shook her head. "It's a long story. But can you please just tell me where they are? I don't want to leave my brother alone for too long with them."

"Don't trust Captain?" Dominick asked. He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Sera glared slightly.

"I haven't talked to your captain that much. Why should I trust him? I don't have much of a choice to be here! And don't light that cigarette!"

Dominick rolled his eyes and turned away. "Bossy," he muttered.

Alice shook her head. "Ignore him. He's an idiot. Come on, I'll show you to the infirmary, okay? Captain told me to bring you there anyways."

Sera bit back another retort. Why didn't she do that in the first place instead of arguing with the smoker? Alice gestured with her arm for Sera to follow and the two women went inside.

The inside of the submarine was a deep contrast to the outside. Warm, monochromatic with its metal walls, and stinky with sweat and oil. The submarine looked small inside, but Sera quickly realized that there was more of it, submerged mostly underwater, as Alice led her down a set of stairs. There was a door to the left at the bottom of the stairways and a faint, repugnant smell hit her nose. She took another sniff, her nose recognizing the burned chicken smell and the overload of spices that made her sneeze. Alice sent an apologetic look over her shoulder.

"Sorry about the smell," she said, scratching the back of her head with a small blush on her cheeks. "I tried to make lunch."

Sera raised an eyebrow and glanced inside through small window on the door. Indeed, inside was a mess hall with a kitchen…a dirty one with globs of… _stuff_ all over the tables, floors, and walls.

"We don't have a chef, so everyone takes turns in making the meals," Alice said. They continued down the hallway, although Sera took one more glance at the galley's door, having the urge to go in and clean the kitchen up. "We had some, but they don't stay long. I'm not that good of a chef, no one here is. You're either a mechanic, medical assistant, or a navigator here. We got four mechanics, including myself. The idiot you met is one, too, and we have two head mechanics who are off somewhere with our navigator, Bepo. Although, I suppose you already met them if you ran into Captain, right? It's pretty weird that he would help you, though. He normally doesn't do that, even if he is a doctor and doctors are supposed to follow this code of some sort to always help those in need. He probably saw something interesting with whatever happened to your brother. Or maybe he sees a benefit to this, 'cause he doesn't do anything without something in return. That's what Shachi and Penguin told me anyways. You know what's funny? They got in trouble with Captain one time when they were telling me about him when—"

 _Shut the hell up!_ Sera wanted to scream, but she gritted her teeth and stuffed her twitching fists in her pockets. Sera could handle stupidity, but this much talking is just too much. _Stay polite, stay polite, stay polite_ , she chanted.

"You talk too much!" Sera snapped, cutting Alice off from a story about a training session that Sera couldn't care less about. "You must feel pretty comfortable telling a stranger about your crew! Don't you think you're giving valuable information away?"

Alice stopped in her track and looked at Sera with surprise. She tapped her chin. "Oh, I suppose you're right. Sorry. Can you not tell anyone about that then?"

"I don't care about what you told me!"

Alice held her hands up in defense. "Hey, hey. Calm down. You're temperamental, huh?"

Her eyebrow twitched. Sera took a deep breath. "Sorry. My brother's life is in the hands of some pirates and I don't want to leave him alone."

The woman smiled and continued walking. "You're worried then? Don't worry; Captain's a good doctor and he wouldn't waste his time with a patient if he didn't think he could treat him. He trained his assistants well, too. Ah, here we are!"

They stopped in front of a pair of metal doors that reminded Sera of ones leading to operation rooms. There was a red card on the doorknob. Alice frowned when she looked at it.

"What happened to your brother?" she asked.

Sera bit her bottom lip. "Poisoned plant. Again, long story."

Alice nodded. "Well, you see this card? Captain always puts up a colored card to tell the crew if we're allowed to come in. Red means no entry. He only puts this up when he's doing surgery."

"Uhh…." Sera wasn't sure on what to say. From what she knew, to cure Poison Molly poison, digesting the antidote would be enough to fight the poison from taking full affect, so there shouldn't be a need for surgery, right?

"He'll be fine, don't worry," Alice said, patting her shoulder. Her cheerful tone was obviously forced.

"You suck at comforting people," Sera muttered. Alice blushed and looked ready to yell at her, but Sera quickly continued, "But thank you for the effort."

Alice blinked, but then grinned. "No problem!"

She went into another story, possibly as a way to keep her mind busy from negative thoughts. Sera tried to make an effort when Alice started to describe the submarine with large, technical words and giving her a lecture of how it worked in the scientific level. It made her feel a bit…inferior with all the intelligent talk that probably killed a few of her brain cells as her brain worked on overdrive to understand what she was being told.

A click. The two girls' snapped their heads to the infirmary door where the doctor himself stepped out. Alice snapped her mouth shut and stood straight, saluting Law.

"Thank you, Alice-ya. You can leave now," Law said, barely addressing the female mechanic before turning his attention to Sera.

Alice gave Sera a small smile before walked off, twirling her wrench in her hand. When she disappeared around the corner, Sera asked, "Is my brother safe?"

There was a small smirk on his lips. "Safe? Well, he's alive if that's the answer you're looking for."

The smirk on his lips disappeared and he turned around, motioning with a lazy hand for Sera to come in. Sera's eyes widened a little and she slipped through the door before it closed on her.

The air was heavy with disinfectant and cleanliness. Sera stopped near the doorway, suddenly wanting to shower and change into cleaner clothes. Although she had gone to dozens of hospitals in the past, the infirmary was possibly one of the cleanest places she had ever seen. The infirmary was well equipped with expensive equipment, some that she had never even seen before but probably costed more than what she had made in the past month.

Law looked back at her, eyebrow raised. Sera ignored him as she unstrapped her hammers from her back and propped them against a cabinet.

"Well, don't you have manners?" he said, that smirk growing on his lips once again.

Sera glared lightly. She looked around, eyeing the beds that were lined on adjacent walls before she caught a familiar mop of brown hair.

"Reggie!" she gasped. She was soon on her knees beside the bed, wanting to grab his hands, but couldn't because of the blanket he was tucked in. His face was an alarming red yet ashy, sweat damping his hair and running down the side of his face. A damp towel was on his forehead and he was panting instead of breathing.

"He has a fever of 105 degrees Fahrenheit," Law said. Sera's eyes widened and she looked up at him. "I barely had enough of the antidote to get rid of the poison, but his body didn't seem to accept the antidote very well. It had to be forced down his throat. The bite required stitches, but it should heal within a week or two."

His blunt tone didn't help ease the news at all. Sera laid her arms and chin on the bed. Her stomach churned and a sob almost choked her. There was a sting behind her eyes, but she didn't want to let the tears out in front of a stranger, so she held them back in with practiced ease.

Law sighed when he realized that the woman wouldn't say anything. He studied the almost impassive look— _almost_. He could see the way her hazel eyes dimmed with worry and the small downwards tip of her lips. What were the odds that he would run into her again after their meeting in the inn? She hasn't done anything that would earn his help—he normally wouldn't have done anything at all, because why should he waste his time and dwindling supplies on people he didn't know? But Law was a doctor and his doctor side seemed to prod him into helping. It didn't take long for him to recognize the poison, so he knew what would have happened if the kid didn't get treated: Die and then decompose from the bacteria eating his body.

(He supposed it was a coincidence or pure luck on the siblings' part that he was studying up on potential dangers of the Grand Line and had happened to meet a black-market dealer selling a vile of blue-ringed flower extract, which he had been analyzing before this incident.)

"I didn't anticipate such high fever," Law continued. "He will have to be on close observation to make sure his fever doesn't spike."

She bit her bottom lip. "He…he had an extremely weak immune system when he was younger. It normally took at least a week for a fever to disappear before he got another one. He hasn't had one this bad in a long time."

He took in the information. _This could complicate things_ , he thought. "It's a high fever, but nothing that my medical team and I can handle. However, I would need to know if there's anything else that I should be aware of regarding your brother's health." He tilted his head. "Hm. I never got your name."

The frown on her face seemed to deepen. She took a long pause before she replied, "Julienne Seraphina."

Law tucked his thumbs on the loops of his pants and leaned against the wall. "Well then, Julienne-ya, if you haven't realized by now, your brother will be in my care until he recovers. And I don't waste my time and supplies without anything in return."

"I figured," she said as she sat down with legs crisscrossed. "So, how much do I have to pay?"

Law almost chuckled. She was straightforward and didn't seem to be the least concerned. He turned and walked towards his desk.

"Where you going?" she asked. Was it odd that he could hear her pouting?

"I was getting tired of standing and this conversation will stretch out a bit long," Law said. He sat at his leather seat and gestured at the chair across from him.

Sera pursed her lips and walked over, sitting down with her a leg crossed over the other and her hand supporting her cheek.

"360,000 beli."

Sera didn't react at first, but when the numbers registered in her mind and the reminder of how thin her wallet was in comparison, her jaw dropped.

" _What?!"_

"Of course, I am not completely unreasonable," Law said, his tone laced with sarcasm, as if this was a game. Sera's teeth clenched. "Your brother's treatment—the antidote alone—will cost 100,000. And as you can probably see, your brother will be sick and under my care until he recovers. Every day he stays in the infirmary will be an extra 80,000, including today. Finally, another 80,000 for both medicine and any medical assistance."

Sera mulled it over, her eyebrows furrowing. "As of now, that should only add up to 260,000. And why is the medicine so expensive?"

Sera didn't know if she was imagining, but his smirk became even more mischievous.

Law folded his fingers together. "That's where our deal comes in. I have a feeling that you don't have the money to pay for the medical bills, am I correct?"

Sera nodded slowly.

"Then, I will deduct 5,500 beli from the bill _per day_ as you work in my crew as our chef. And unless you agree to join my crew officially, you will pay 50,000 _by the month_ that you stay here. This means you would be with the crew for almost two months before you can pay the bill in full."

100,000 beli. Exactly how much she won from the drinking competition. _This isn't out of petty, is it?_ Looking at the dark character in front of her, Sera wasn't sure if he does things pettily.

"And the monthly lodging is a separate bill, so you will need to come up with a way to pay that yourself."

 _Or maybe he is._ Sera was starting to hate the man. She _won_ that money as her and her brother's food budget. It was not hard for her to earn money (there were many jobs that she could take to earn a good amount of money, as she has been doing this her whole life), but she couldn't help thinking that she was a bit...cheated. She had to endure Reggie's complaints for that money!

She looked over her shoulder at her brother's sleeping form. He seemed much redder from afar and it was obvious how he was struggling to breath. Her hand went into her pocket where she kept one of her brother's inhalers. Reggie used to be such a weak child. Would this incident cause him to be the easily sickened kid again? Sera wasn't a doctor and she wasn't confident enough to take care of him all by himself if he got sick.

Yet, she wasn't sure if she should trust some pirate. This man, Trafalgar Law, didn't look the most trustworthy person. He helped her, yes, but for his own personal gain. Two months was too long for Sera and too much can happen within that time frame. She would technically be part of the crew if she worked for him.

"Wait, why do you want me as the chef?"

Law raised an eyebrow. "You can cook, right?"

"Yes, but there are others that can take the position."

"True, but as of now, my crew is in need of a chef and you are the only one I had come across who can cook decently. At least, I hope you can cook something other than the frittata."

Sera frowned. "I said I can cook! But I don't want to stay here for too long!"

He tilted his head to the side. "So you don't want your brother to recover?"

"Of course I do! But you said that the antidote costs 100,000. I have enough for that. I'll just take my brother and bring him to the hospital or the inn to recover there."

Almost immediately after she said that, the ship moved and Sera had the uncomfortable feeling that she was sinking. There was a deep rumble, like something heavy was enveloping the ship, and Sera had to grip the sides of her chair to stay on as she fought that weird feeling off. It was almost three minutes later when things started to calm down.

"What was—"

"We submerged," Law said. He looked extremely victorious. "I suppose my crew members returned from the mansion."

"S-Submerged?" Sera said, turning pale. She got up and ran to the infirmary's door, pulling it open and stared out at the porthole on the wall right across.

A school of fish swam past the porthole, submerged in the clear blue.

A series of curses ran through her mind.

She heard shoes clattering against the metal floor and she felt his presence behind her. Law appeared in her peripheral vision as he leaned against the door frame. He raised a hand out.

"So, I suppose we have a deal, Julienne-ya?"

Her hands clenched and unclenched. Sera never felt so recklessly stupid as she did right then as she shook his hand to seal the deal...

Then she ripped her hand away from his. She didn't catch the faint surprise in his face as she turned away from him.

"I'm gonna pay you back before the two months once I get the money! I have no intention of staying here for that long."

She looked at him then, wishing she hadn't. That dark smirk he had on his face was unnerving.

"If you say so, Cook-ya."

* * *

"Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a mechanic, right?"

"…Yeah."

Sera tore her eyes away from the condition of the kitchen and looked at the peach-haired woman. "Then how come you can't cook? As a mechanic, you know how to do math and follow instructions."

Alice sweat-dropped and turned away, scratching her cheek. "Um, it's a bit different with food. I follow the recipes, but they never turn out good. Sometimes the recipes don't look right, so I try to change it a bit…. I'm not the worst cook here, though."

Sera didn't know if she was lying. When Alice came back to show her the mess hall, Sera tripped over a pile of deer and rabbit limbs and torsos, nearly landing face-first into a green glob that looked like vomit chunks encased in gel. Globs of what used to be edible food were everywhere. Some on the ceiling, all over the tables and floor that it was difficult to walk around, and even in the poorly washed dishes. A pot was left on the stove and Sera was scared to open it, fearing what concoction could produce the foul smell that burned her nose. The refrigerator somehow stayed clean, but the inside could be a different story. How did this crew survive with such a kitchen? This was even more pathetic than running out of food in the middle of the sea.

It was mid afternoon and Law had given her three hours to prepare dinner. Three hours was barely enough time to clean up the mess. Sera sighed; she would rather use that time to lament on her situation.

"I'd help you, but I have to head back to the engine room," Alice said. "There's only four mechanics to handle a complex ship like this one, so we have to make periodic checkups to make sure the _Virus_ stays in top shape. Good luck, chef!"

Sera only nodded as the woman walked out, the door closing with a soft click. Her eyes scanned across the room, from the gunk in the kitchen, to the dirty tabletops and stained floors, and to the pile of carcasses that she assumed she had to skin. "For Reggie," she whispered. She pulled off her green spotted headscarf, letting her brown ombré hair fall out of its ponytail before she wrapped her head with it to keep her hair out of the way, then pounded her fists together and smirked.

"Time for war!"

* * *

The submarine wasn't the best smelling ship, especially with how often Law's crew spent underwater. After spending several months in this condition, Law had gotten so used to the heavy stench of sweat and grease that he was immune. Even Alice's efforts of trying to use air fresheners failed and spending days on the surface doesn't help lessen the stench. Sweat, grease, and antiseptics, but never food, even when the crew did have a chef.

That was why Law almost knocked over his sample of Poison Molly when the smell of fish and spices came through the air vent and into his infirmary. His medical assistants looked surprised as well, which comforted Law, because that meant he wasn't hallucinating. The smell was not overpowering and it mingled with the normal stench of the submarine and of the antiseptic of his infirmary, but it was strong enough to make his tongue tingle.

"Damn, that smells good," one of his assistants said, followed by a stomach's growl.

Law looked at the clock. There was twenty minutes left before dinner. He shook his head; time went by too quickly whenever he was working. He got up and started cleaning up his table, carefully packing the Poison Molly sample he took from the sick kid.

(That was why he had put the red card on the doorknob. Law had to use his devil fruit powers to cut Reggie's bitten arm off and take the sample while his assistants gave him the antidote. In Law's defense, he would have had to cut off the arm to stop the spread of poison and bacteria, so he was merely taking the opportunity. He had, at least, cleaned the dismembered arm and returned it to where it belonged. It wouldn't have done good for him if the older sister saw her brother with one arm missing, would it?)

His medical assistants slowly started to file out. Law finished packing his tools and was about to leave when he heard a soft moan.

Reggie shifted in his sleep, muttering something so softly that Law couldn't hear. Then his eyes started to open, hazy at first, but slowly began to become aware.

"Wha—" he muttered, but fell into a coughing fit.

Law walked over to the water dispenser in the corner of the room and filled a cup, striding over to the bed in only a moment. Reggie took the cup, eyes closed, and nearly choked as he tried to drink. Law patted his back after he finished drinking. When his coughing fit eased, Law grabbed a thermometer out from his pocket and stuck it under Reggie's tongue before the boy could even ask what was going on.

104 degrees. Better, but not good.

"Go back to sleep," Law said as he took the towel from where it fell and soaked it in the bowl beside the bed.

"Who…" he muttered. His eyes squinted as he stared, but they slowly widened as recognition hit him. "You're…Where's my sister?"

"Cooking. Go back to sleep. You need to rest."

Reggie shook his head. "No! I want my sister!" He took short breaths. "Where is she?"

He tried to get out of bed, but he was barely able to sit up before he collapsed again. Law sighed in annoyance and when Reggie tried to get back up again, Law held him down with a single hand. He leaned down and glared, making the kid freeze in fear.

" _I_ am the one who saved you. _I'm a doctor_. You listen to my orders and I'm telling you to rest. Understand?"

Reggie cowered, but then he bit his lip and said, "I want my sister!"

Law could feel his stomach ache when he took another whiff of the food that seeped into the room. He was hungry and he really didn't want to deal with a kid at the moment.

"She's cooking for my crew. I'll tell her that you woke up after she finished, but you need to stay here and rest. Deal?"

Reggie didn't look like he trusted him, but nodded after a moment. He fell back onto the bed and closed his eyes, his breathing becoming even almost a moment later. Law raised an eyebrow at the speed, but couldn't blame the sick kid. He pulled the blanket back up to Reggie's chin and placed the damp towel on his forehead. When he was sure the kid was asleep and not faking, he dimmed the lights and left the infirmary.

He was surprised to see his crew crowded together in front of the door. Bepo was sitting on the floor, playing cards with Penguin, Shachi, and Dominick, a glob of drool slipping through the corners of their mouths. A few of his men were peeking through the small window on the galley door while the rest lounged around as if they were dying of starvation.

That may not be too far off, however.

"What's going on?" he asked no one in particular.

His crew looked at him, despair written on their faces. "She won't let us in," Bepo whined as he pointed towards Shachi and Penguin. "She kicked us out because they tried to steal some food."

"You did too, you bear!" they shouted.

Bepo's courage deflated. "Sorry…."

"Why is she here anyways, Captain?" Dominick asked. "Alice said that she's our new chef. That true?"

"For now," he said, mentally taking roll of his crew. "Where is Alice-ya?"

"Inside. Sasha would only let _her_ in. That's discrimination, I say."

Law was confused at first, but realized who Dominick was talking about. Then there was a shadow of dread in him. "Our new cook isn't letting Alice-ya help her, is she?"

"N-No, I don't think so…I hope not…." Dominick's cigarette sagged as he looked away, face slightly blue.

"Oh, by the way Captain," Shachi said in a hurry, not wanting to continue that train of thought. "We found about a million beli in the house with some stuff we can sell! Did you know that the guy was that Grand Line traveler people talked about? We could sell some of his stuff."

Penguin set his cards facedown. "He was awfully weak and a coward. He probably is a fraud like some people thought. Too bad, right? He could have been some help since we still lack information about the Grand Line."

Bepo shook his head. "I wonder why the woman and her brother was there in the first place."

Dominick snickered. "She could be one of those fans of his who think he's a hotshot. Or maybe for money."

Suddenly, the men near the door yelped and a wrench came flying, smacking Dominick straight on the back of his head.

"Stop being such an ass, Dominick!"

Alice stood at the doorway, but the delicious aroma poured out like a wave, making stomachs growl almost in sync. Even Law's stomach growled.

"Is dinner ready?" Penguin asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

Alice barely nodded before she had to jump out of the way to avoid being trampled by her crew mates. Law merely followed them in, ignoring Alice's yells.

The mess hall had never been so clean ever since the last chef quit two weeks before. Law swore it looked almost as clean as his infirmary, which was saying something. All the gunk left over from failed attempts of cooking were gone with only a few remaining stains on the walls and floor. The tables had been rearranged, having been placed closer to the pass-through that separated the galley from the mess hall. Stacks of bowls and plates were on the table with serving dishes filled with food, the steam still visible to show that it had just been laid out.

Sera leaned on the pass-through, drying her hands with a rag. She must have taken a shower, for the headscarf that kept her hair up was slightly damp, and she wore a different set of clothes.

"This looks delicious!" Shachi said as he and the rest of the crew ran over to the table.

Sera smiled, her head cocking to the side. "I hope it is. What are you waiting for? Dig in."

His crew didn't need to be told twice. They rushed to get their plates and fought over the salmon, fried rice, and salad. Law almost chuckled when he saw Sera's surprised face before he sat at the head of the table—the spot in front of the pass-through where his new cook stood.

As Law sat down, his back facing the pass-through, he told Sera, "Your brother woke up."

"Really?"

Law looked over his shoulder and almost chuckled. Sera was practically lying on the counter, like she had attempted to jump over, but failed. Her head was only a foot away from his. "You can go see him."

"Can I bring him some food?"

"...Don't make a mess in my infirmary."

"Thank you!" Her grin was so wide that it shouldn't have been able to fit her face. "I guess you really are a legit doctor, aren't you?"

Law was surprised at the sudden attitude change, although he figured the news made her change from her from being grumpy to the (maybe unintentionally) rude and cheerful girl he met in the inn. He wasn't sure which one he preferred.

"What made you think I wasn't a legitimate doctor?" he asked as Bepo finished filling a plate for Law.

She cocked her head and smiled, somewhat awkwardly. "Well…you don't look like the type. You look more like the one who would bring death and pain instead of trying to cure it. And you look too young to be a doctor."

"Captain's twenty-four," Bepo said, his mouth already full of fish.

"Eh? Then you _are_ too young!"

Law chuckled. She looked like she was thinking about something, but then shrugged and started to fill a bowl with soup. Law looked down at his plate and frowned when he saw croutons in the salad. He picked it all out with a fork and placed them on Shachi's plate.

"Don't like croutons, Trafalgar?" Sera asked as she passed him, balancing a tray on a single hand like a waitress.

"I don't eat bread…or any pastries," he answered before he tasted the fish. The flavor exploded in his mouth and would have made him moan if he didn't catch himself. His stomach sighed in delight as something delicious and edible finally entered its system.

"I'll remember that," she said. She took a step, paused, and then addressed his entire crew, "If there's anything I should know regarding dietary needs, can you guys write it down on list? Allergies, dislikes, a certain diet, or anything else."

"No problem," Alice said almost immediately. She took a large bite of a piece of chocolate cake and moaned, holding her pink cheeks in delight. "I hope you stay longer than the others!"

Sera cocked her head, looking a bit confused, but smiled. "Thanks guys. You can leave the plates in the kitchen so I can clean it later. And make sure there's no food wasted."

As if there was any chance of even a crumb being left.

* * *

Reggie woke up after Sera sat down beside his bed. He said nothing as he tried to eat the food she gave him, but he didn't enough strength to do eat more than five spoonfuls. Sera didn't force him and hummed their lullaby as she dabbed his forehead with the damp towel.

"…Sorry," he whispered, his voice coarse like sandpaper.

"For what?"

"…For…being in the hospital…again…."

Sera smiled, although it was forced. "What are you talking about? There's no need to apologize. This isn't even a hospital."

Reggie tried to smile. "It's the…same thing. I got healthier…because of Doc…but then I got sick…again. It feels…like before."

Sera's hand faltered and her mouth twitched. She shook her head. "I think Trafalgar's a pretty good doctor, even if he is a pirate. You'll be fine and healthy in no time."

"I…should have been…more careful." His voice was getting softer and his breathing started to ease up as he drifted to sleep. "Then…you wouldn't be…in so much…trouble…."

Sera didn't say anything as he fell asleep, only continuing that old lullaby she sang so many times in such familiar situations. She laid her head down, her voice becoming weaker and shakier as she held back the tears that were fighting to be released. One tear slipped down her cheek as she closed her eyes, the events of the day having been far too draining.

On the other side of the infirmary wall, Law was leaning beside the door frame, peaking in through a crack when he heard the lullaby fade away. A frown was on his face and his eyes held a faraway look as left.

He stayed awake that night as a he saw a little girl with brown pigtails and a pained smile, skin turning white as she laid on her deathbed.

* * *

 **And that's that.**

 **Regarding the beli, I think Oda based beli off of yen, but I'm from the States and since I'm not entirely sure how different the prices are regarding medical care in Japan (or most of anything, really), I'm basing the prices off of what there is in the States and converting it. (1 US Dollar ~ 100 yen). Sera would have to pay $3,600 as of now.**

 **As always, review and tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own One Piece. I only own my OCs.**

* * *

Bepo wasn't sure if he really liked the new chef. At best, he was wary of her. Yes, she cooked delicious food that his crew had forgone for far too long and so far, she hasn't done anything to cause trouble between her and a member of the crew during the past three days. Well, except for Dominick, but only when he smoked near her and even then, it was not like she got in a fist fight or something. Bepo knew that she could have. Call it instincts or plain observation; he was more attentive than he looked, especially if it was regarding a stranger who, as far as he knew, swore no loyalty to his crew. Sera had muscle—Bepo saw it once when he watched her cook dinner, lugging the deer carcasses over her shoulder like nothing.

Bepo didn't know how skilled she was in battle, so if something did happen, would he be able to trust her? Will she be willing to help his crew when times get tough or would she betray them the second she can? Their past chefs were less than adequate; some quit, others not being reliable outside of the kitchen, and one had even gone as far as turning traitor (he still doesn't know exactly what Law had done to the man). Bepo wouldn't be surprised if something happened with her and the crew is left without a chef again.

The Mink glanced at the woman from the corner of his eyes. She was leaning on the wall near the entrance of the submarine, clad in her coat and her headscarf wrapped around her neck and lower face. She was rubbing her gloved hands together and he could see the slight shivers of her body as she tried to withstand the cold ocean breeze.

That was another thing Bepo found weird. The day was not too cold and most North Blue inhabitants could handle this temperature with nothing more than a jacket. Yet, she was acting as if it was snowing. He wondered where exactly she came from. A warmer island? There weren't much of those in North Blue.

His fishing pole tugged and Bepo changed his focus from the girl to the dark shadow beneath the water. Sera had convinced the pirates to go fishing when they ran out of meat, which actually made most of the pirates annoyed. They were behind schedule now. Being behind schedule was _not_ something Law appreciated. However, when Bepo managed to reel in the fishing line and saw the large, struggling salmon, he found out that he wasn't _too_ angry….

Sera brought her hands to her face, lowering her headscarf away from her mouth in order to blow some hot air to her gloved hands. Her lips had gotten chapped and there were dry spots on her skin that were so tempting to scratch. She had only been in the North Blue for a couple of weeks, but that seemed to be enough time to ruin her skin.

"I just had to run out of moisturizer..." she muttered to herself as she finally gave in and scratched an itchy spot on her jaw. Her eyes, however, stayed glued to the pirates leaning on the railings and fishing. They had made the job into a sort of competition as to whoever catches the heaviest amount of fish. Bepo had probably caught the biggest one, which had spurred the rest to try harder and a few sent the polar bear a few competitive words that made the bear gloom over his victory. Dominick and Alice were personally competing against each other, but then Penguin and Shachi butted in and showed off their joint work of a large bucket of mixed fish halfway full. The four mechanics were now arguing, destroying the peaceful air. One of the medical assistants - Indigo, she believed - was silent and hadn't spoken a word, but she saw that he had already filled his bucket with fish and looked like he was now napping. Shachi had noticed the quiet man drifting asleep and he blew a raspberry in his ear, causing him to yelp and fall back onto the deck, eliciting a laugh from the rest. Indigo only slapped Shachi on the head with his fishing pole before he decided to sleep on the deck on the exact position as he had fallen.

The scene made her smile. _They remind me of a weird family._

She sensed someone approach and turned her head to see Law leaning on the doorway, arms crossed and clad in his usual jeans, hoodie, and fuzzy hat. Sera frowned; how was it that these pirates were able to handle such cold weather? Oh, how she terribly wished that she was in the East Blue. People said that that weak sea was nice and warm, like spring.

"You don't think we caught enough fish?" he asked with a dry smirk. Law was still annoyed that they had to stop in the middle of their journey to the next island, but he understood why it was necessary. His crew would complain if there wasn't enough food.

The brunette looked at the buckets of fish. By some good fortune, they had anchored at a fish feeding sight where there were hardly any currents. The pirates were surprisingly good fishers as well. They had probably caught enough to make a grand feast.

Sera shrugged and said, "With all of your stomachs, this would only last us a day."

"You're exaggerating."

"No, I'm not." She knew she was.

Law shook his head, that smirk never leaving his face. "We would have arrived at the next island by nightfall if we didn't stop. We could have ate inland and done our shopping then."

"Oh? Then we'll save money." Sera sniffled and rubbed her hands together. Her teeth clenched together as she shivered, a brisk wind making her hair fly over her face. She pulled her hair behind her ears and sniffled again.

Law looked at her with analytical eyes. The tip of her nose was turning red, her lips were chapped, and he saw a couple of dry spots on her tanned skin. Her eyes watered from the cold wind.

"Are you not accustomed to the cold, Julienne-ya?" he asked, although the answer was obvious.

Sera shook her head. "I was raised in the humidity and I never had to handle cold weather most of the time."

Law's lips twitched. That proved one of his suspicions. Law had figured she wasn't from Paw Island, simply because her and her brother's darker complexions were different from the other natives. However, now that made him wonder where exactly she had come from. He also wondered why she was in the mansion in the first place, but he never seemed to have a chance to ask her. It was as if she had been avoiding him.

Before he could ask any of his questions, she said, "Are you heading to the Grand Line?"

The question caught him off guard, but he didn't show it. She looked at him with her hazel eyes slightly squinted, possibly from the sunlight that was peeping through the clouds and hitting her face. He noticed how her eyes looked a bit greener.

"Did Alice-ya mention it to you?" he asked. His female mechanic loved to babble and he wouldn't be surprised if Sera now knows every adventure and misadventure his crew had gone through the past months.

"No…it seems like every pirate wants to go to the Grand Line and find One Piece, that's all."

Law raised an eyebrow. "You've met other pirates?"

"…A few. Then there's that stereotype, too. Pirates want treasure and One Piece is supposedly the greatest treasure in the world."

"It _is_ the greatest treasure in the world. There's no other treasure that could compare."

This time, a smirk appeared on her lips, as if she knew something he didn't and found his words amusing. He narrowed his eyes at the thought.

"You think you can find the One Piece and become pirate king?"

Law's smirk was so full of confidence, Sera almost believed that he could. " _I know_ I can."

"Such a crazy dream," she muttered, looking back at the other pirates with a small smile.

"Dreams aren't worth chasing if they don't have a semblance of craziness in them," Law said, although he did feel slightly miffed at her comment.

Sera couldn't find it in her to disagree. She was about to say something else, but then she sneezed twice, completely cutting herself off. Law studied her for a while longer before he sighed and pushed himself off of the doorway.

"Go inside," he said. "I'm not going to risk the chef getting sick."

Sera smirked slyly at him. "Aw, you care about me."

Law raised an eyebrow. "If you get sick, then nobody will be able to cook."

"What? You don't want charcoal and gunk as your main course anymore?"

"I don't want to lose any more years of my life, Julienne-ya."

"I'm pretty sure drinking twenty mugs of wine would have done that already." She winked at him, grinning slightly when he glared at her.

Then he smirked again. "If that's the case, then you would die before I would. I seem to recall our alcohol storage having depleted the past few days. You don't happen to know what happened, do you?"

Red dusted her cheeks. _Damn he's on to me_ , she thought. "I think I saw rum bottles grow legs and walk the plank...you know...for the better good of our health. They told me to tell you that they were sorry for deserting, but you were a good captain, so you shouldn't take it personally."

Law's lips twitched and he almost coughed up a laugh at her odd reply. "Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, but nice try."

Sera gave him an odd look. "Oh? I wasn't trying to flatter. I don't think you need any more ego-boosting, Mr. Sixty-Million. Although, I do think we should go get those rum bottles. I think they secretly wanted to commit mutiny. Who knows what they would do?"

This time, Law didn't bother to hide his amusement. She was starting to act like how he had first met her in the inn the morning after the drinking competition, although maybe a bit weirder. He wasn't sure if she meant anything by her words. Law didn't try to decode them; instead, he leaned forward and gave her a dark, mischievous look that made Sera freeze.

"Oh, I'm not worried." His smirk grew at Sera's inquiring look. "If anybody gets in my way, I will give them _hell_ before I kill them off. And if you dare to try to run, Julienne-ya, you won't be an exception."

Sera stared right into his eyes, her own hazel eyes slightly wide as she felt a shiver go up her spine. She hoped it was from the cold and not the predatory look that came with the threat. The way the brim of his hat shadowed his eyes, making the grey orbs stand out, and the lopsided quirk of his lips that showed off a bit of his canines...it reminded her of a feline ready to pounce on a mouse. The thought of the wretched creature made her hands twitch and she gave an awkward smile.

"Oh, okay. Got it. No running. No worries. Bye-bye!" she said all in one breath and she scurried off inside. She could feel her pride chipping.

Law watched her leave, confused at what had just happened. She looked...frightened. Had he really scared her off with his comment? He wondered if she did plan to run off before her debt was paid. Maybe that was what made her nervous. "She can try to run," he said smugly and proceeded to watch Bepo catch another giant fish. The chances of her escaping him was slim. No one gets away from Trafalgar Law, after all.

Sera stopped and stood near the mess hall's door, head slamming against the metal wall. To say she felt pathetic was an understatement. "Geez, when I was actually enjoying the conversation with the guy," she grumbled, taking off her headscarf so she could tie her hair up again. His cat-like look flashed in her mind and she shivered again. "Oh please don't let him be like those demons...oh, that's probably a useless prayer. Rumor says he's sadistic..."

Alice had told her stories the past few days and Sera realized why the Heart Pirates had sounded so familiar: they had been on the news a week ago after they had raided a Marine science facility for some equipment that they wanted to use in their submarine. They had destroyed a Marine base and annihilated an infamous pirate crew before that. And if the newspapers were any accurate, those unlucky enough to end up in Law's hands were dealt in unnatural torture.

Sera then slapped her cheeks and she shook her head rapidly. _I'm being crazy again. He's human, not a C-A-T._ Sera took a deep breath and counted to ten, calming her racing heart. Resolving to forget the last part of the conversation, she instead thought about what he had revealed about himself.

"Pirate King, huh? Such a silly dream," she muttered as she went into the galley to prepare some onigiri. Pirates had often underestimated the Grand Line, even those who were native to the sea. Did he know exactly how dangerous the sea was, that just because he had made a name for himself that he was ready for the Grand Line? Sera was no expert, but she had seen enough to know that the Grand Line deserves its nickname as the "Pirate's Graveyard."

However, looking at the small kitchen that she had finally cleaned and organized to her standards, her smile reappeared and she laughed sheepishly. "I suppose I have no right to talk."

After all, how can she make fun of his dream when she herself wasn't any better, searching for a sea that, in all likelihood, was probably what it was claimed to be: a legend.

* * *

 **I was originally going to start the next island adventure in this chapter, but I thought it would be better to have something happen in between to show a bit of character. Not a lot would have happened in between the two island, especially since I imagine Sera not interacting with the pirates outside of the food and medical situations...as of now.**

 **Well, like always, review and tell me what you think!**


	6. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **(Not a chapter)**

Hey guys. I'm sorry for those who were expecting a chapter. It's been almost three months since this story was last updated and I apologize for that. I haven't lost interest in this story, but I've been busy during my last couple of months of school and I couldn't spend too much time with it. Now that I'm on break and actually have more time to work on this story, I've realized that there are some problems with this story...at least for me. So, I decided to rewrite the chapter I have so far to keep it up to date with the changes I made, especially certain aspects of my OCs. The plot is still generally the same, although the chapters would be different. This way, there won't be any confusion in future chapters and that I won't completely mess up this story.

I was planning to post this announcement after I had finished writing the rewrites for Chapters 1-5, but I decided that it would be fairer to tell you all now. When I would actually post the rewrite would be when I finish it. In other words, I'm not quite sure, so this story might be on a short hiatus until then. If any of you prefer, I would keep this version of the story up and post the rewrite as a separate story. If you guys don't care, then this version would just be completely revamped.

Again, I apologize for this, but I hope you all understand. And I hope you would give the rewrite a chance!

 _\- Silver Desert_


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